Evaluation of Biosafety Aspects of Cisgenesis and Intragenesis in Comparison with Transgenesis

Using genetic engineering for gene transformation through crossable species is known as Cisgenesis and Intragenesis. These two technologies have been developed to respond to the considerations expressed in relation to Transgenesis. These technologies have technical limitations compared with Transgenesis. In these technologies, it is not possible to transfer a gene to the recipient organism from species that their crosses are rare in nature. Cisgenesis and intragenesis are different in some aspects such as the removal of introns and the selection of promoters and terminators from other genes. These restrictions have been met in comparison to transgenesis, in the hope of exempting from biosafety regulations. The issue of reduced biosafety evaluations of these technologies has been debated in various countries. Some countries accepting the reduced biosafety evaluations and others rejecting it for some reasons. Considering that definition of Living Modified Organisms (LMOs) produced in Cisgenesis and Intragenesis such as transgenesis is in full compliance with the definition of LMOs in Cartagena Biosafety Protocol, products of these technologies would not be exempted from Biosafety regulations in international level. In addition, several studies have shown that gene transfer from distant species is possible in nature, and also some other concerns remained unanswered, exempting these products from biosafety regulations is not advisable.